Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Review: A Great Value with Lake Access

The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino provides a solid combination of value and entertainment, along with easy access to the outdoors. Located near the California border in Incline Village, Nevada, the pet-friendly resort features direct access to Lake Tahoe, a year-round heated pool, multiple dining options, free transportation to the slopes at nearby Diamond Peak, on-site ski and outdoor gear rentals, a fantastic spa and a casino.

The hotel offers reasonable prices relative to similar accommodations in the surrounding North Lake Tahoe area, with room rates starting around $250 per night. You can also save money by booking with World of Hyatt points, with award nights starting at 17,000 points per night.

I visited the property in February 2025 during a snowboarding trip around Lake Tahoe. Although the hotel covered the cost of my stay and food, all the opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by the resort.

Location

The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is located about five miles east of the California border in Incline Village, Nevada and about a 50 minute drive from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Incline Village is a relatively quiet town, but there are plenty of restaurant and bar options away from the property. This location provides easy access to the ski area at nearby Diamond Peak, with many of the other best ski resorts in California less than an hour away. You’re also minutes away from an abundance of boating, hiking and mountain biking options around North Lake Tahoe.

Visitors flying into Reno can easily access Everline by making a reservation on the North Lake Tahoe Express, a shuttle service that connects the airport with North Lake Tahoe. As of this writing, that service costs $99 one-way per person, with decreasing rates per person when you add additional travelers.

If you rent a car, the hotel offers both valet ($50 per night) and self-parking ($29 per night). There is also a hotel shuttle that provides local transportation for guests, however, the easiest way to get around once at the hotel is on the Tahoe Area Rapid Transit, which stops directly in front of the resort and provides access to the great Lake Tahoe area.

Rooms

The hotel currently offers 398 guest rooms, including a variety of standard rooms and suites with the option of adding a balcony or patio. Previously, there were also 24 Lakeside Cottages in the resort’s south parcel, but those rooms are being replaced during the property renovations. All rooms offer wireless internet and a workstation.

The standard rooms with either a king bed or two queen beds are 400 square feet. The guest rooms are not bad, but definitely feel a bit dated and in need of a refresh. While guest room renovations are planned, they won’t happen until the current south parcel renovations are completed towards the end of 2027.

Rooms with a balcony or patio include rocking chairs and a relaxing and private space to sit outside.

Standard suites eligible for Suite Upgrade Awards include the Sugar Pine Junior Suite and the One Bedroom Suite. I was able to tour the Sugar Pine Junior Suite, which is 500-square-feet and contains a giant picture window with great vistas of the surrounding mountains and pine trees.

The bathroom of the Sugar Pine Suite contains a standalone bathtub and ample space.

Booking with Hyatt Points

The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is a Category 5 hotel in the World of Hyatt program. You’ll spend between 17,000 and 23,000 points per night for a standard room and 29,000 points per night for the Sugar Pine and one-bedroom suites.

NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each. During low-traffic weekdays, base rooms at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe can cost around $250 or 17,000 points. At that price, your points would only be worth about 1.5 cents each and you might be better off paying in cash if you want to maximize the value of your points. But over peak periods, standard rooms can increase to over $900 or 23,000 points per night. At that price, your points would be worth an outstanding 3.9 cents each.

World of Hyatt suite upgrade awards can be used to upgrade either the Sugar Pine Junior Suite or One Bedroom Suite. Hyatt also waives resort fees on award stays, so you’ll save an additional $50 per night by using points.

The easiest way to earn a slug of Hyatt points for free-night stays is through the World of Hyatt Credit Card. New cardholders will earn the following sign-up bonus: Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Additionally, cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card can be used to transfer points to Hyatt for award nights.

» Learn more: How to avoid hotel resort fees

Dining options

There are multiple dining options at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. Breakfast and dinner are offered at Osteria Sierra. Burgers and other pub food is available at Cutthroat’s Saloon, a sports bar that is now open but was in the final stages of a remodel during my visit. Coffee, baked goods and other grab-and-go options are available in Tahoe Provisions. There's also a seasonal poolside bar and grill.

Breakfast at Osteria Sierra includes the option of a buffet or a variety of made-to-order options. I stuck with yogurt and fruit, but the omelettes also looked very good. Osteria Sierra really shines at dinner, when it converts into a fine-dining establishment offering northern Italian cuisine.

I was offered fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar to start my dinner. Then I ordered the Scamorza e Prosciutto. The thinly shaved prosciutto was delicious, although the smoked cheese was a bit thick for my taste.

For my entree, I was blown away by the Ragu di Agnello, which consisted of fresh rigatoni, lamb bolognese and two grilled lamb chops. The presentation was nice and the dish offered a perfect amount of comfort food after a day on the slopes.

For dessert, I went with a decaf latte and the tiramisu. The mousse and Kahlua-soaked cake were wonderfully accented by the coffee ice cream. I’m still thinking about that tiramisu.

Amenities

Free shuttle service to Diamond Peak

Hotel guests looking to hit the slopes can hop on the free shuttle to Diamond Peak (one of the most underrated ski hills around Lake Tahoe). The shuttle picks you up at the front of the hotel, and 15 minutes later you’re on the mountain. At the end of the day, grab the shuttle near the ticket counter to return to the hotel.

Stillwater Spa

The Stillwater Spa is my favorite part of the Lake Tahoe Hyatt Regency. The spa director, Julie Orblynch, has done a wonderful job curating a thoughtful program that focuses on holistic wellness and includes massages, facials, dry sauna, steam room, cryotherapy and a float tank.

During my stay, I was offered the opportunity to experience the cryochamber, relaxation room and sensory deprivation tank.

I had never been inside a cryochamber, but Julie was convinced it would be perfect for my sore muscles after snowboarding consistently for a couple of weeks. After she gave me mittens, a cap and headphones playing my choice of warm, happy music (Phish), I hesitantly entered the -155 degree chamber. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, the chamber lights turned pink, indicating that my 3.5 minutes were up. It was an invigorating experience that made my mind feel remarkably clear once I stopped shivering.

After the cryochamber came the relaxation room, where I’d lay covered in blankets on a vibrating massage table while thinking about warm, tropical beaches for half an hour.

Lastly came the sensory deprivation float tank. With a salinity greater than the Dead Sea, the saltwater creates a super-buoyant, zero-gravity sensation while you float in complete darkness. The combination of these treatments did something to my mind for the rest of the day. I was energized, but also focused and relaxed.

Fitness center

There are two fitness centers at the resort, including a gym with Peloton bikes, rowing machines, stairmasters, treadmills and free weights. The gym is open 24/7. There’s also a separate room for yoga and group classes. I used the gym during both days of my stay and found it to be very well equipped.

Grand Lodge Casino

The property’s casino is attached to the lobby of the hotel. However, it’s through a separate door in the lobby, so families or people trying to avoid it can walk right by it without a problem. The facility is designed like an alpine lodge, and the few times I walked through, it was never crowded. The casino offers table games including blackjack, craps and roulette, in addition to 260 slot machines.

Pools

The property features a year-round heated lagoon-style pool that sits against a backdrop of mountains and pine trees. The 90-degree water felt wonderful in the below-freezing air temperature when I visited. There are also two outdoor hot tubs.

Tahoe Adventures Team

One of my favorite aspects of the property is access to the Tahoe Adventures Team. Every day, the in-house team curates an adventure around the Lake Tahoe area that ranges from nature hikes to archery. This offers a great opportunity for people who want to get outdoors but aren’t sure what to see or do. You can learn about the available activities in the Tahoe Adventures Team office in the hotel lobby.

Hyatt Sport Shop

The Hyatt Sport Shop is located on the ground floor of the hotel and offers seasonal gear rentals, including ski and mountain biking equipment. This makes it easy to take care of your gear rental needs before you catch the shuttle up the mountain.

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe: Is it worth it?

I’ve stayed all over the Lake Tahoe area, and, in my opinion, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe offers the best combination of value, location and amenities. The alpine lodge feel of the lobby and casino are warm and inviting, and the focus on wellness and outdoor activities made me feel right at home in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The only downside is the dated feeling of the guest rooms in the main hotel.

But because both the cash price and points price for award stays are significantly lower than other nearby properties, such as the Everline Resort and Spa, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is still my primary recommendation for lodging in North Lake Tahoe.

The featured image of the Hyatt Regency Resort and Casino was taken by Craig Joseph.